Waifus and the Self
Introduction The following below is a rough draft of what I've done, so it's by no means perfect and it's all over the place. And I just felt like writing it. But it concerns mostly regarding the waifu and the self, with a few things thrown in. I could call it "It isn't just about love, you are also your waifu - How your waifu is a part of yourself". While the more established waifu theories (such as "Thoughts on 2D love" and "A defense of the Waifu Movement") are more of a general insight to having a waifu, in short, more like a 'Waifu 101' primer usually intended for normals and people new to waifus. Now, what I have in mind is that I dwell deeper, more closer to a 'Waifu 201' or 'Waifu 301' and should be intended for readers who have waifus. Now "Ultimate Waifu Explanation" itself is more 'Waifu 201' material, usually not intended for normals to read, but does have this advanced, but also not quite advanced, feel to it. Now, I want to understand why we have waifus in the first place, not how we have waifus. Basic Concepts Most people are attracted to their waifus because of certain qualities they see in them. Of course, that would assume that you share many similarities with your waifu. But if you say that they are different from you, then I would still think opposite attraction complements yourself, as if it makes you and your waifu into a single unifying whole. She could exhibit all the traits you don't have that you wish to have. So if you claim that you just like your waifu just because you happen to like her, just think of it this way, what exactly makes you and your waifu so different than those other people who share them? Even though a waifu is a result of another person's creation and establishes her base concepts, it is up to you to decide who your waifu is to make her your very own. Your waifu is you. She is a part of yourself - your thoughts are what make her complete in your eyes. In essence, everything you like is a reflection or a shadow of yourself or what you want to be. It's a reflection of your taste, a reflection of your love for certain motifs - in this case, your waifu. Now I'd say your waifu, in the concept of the self, serves roughly two functions: What you want to be and what you are. You want to be your waifu because she has those qualities that you admire but you lack. You are your waifu because you and your waifu resonate in many aspects. Waifus are nothing new The waifu concept itself is quite ancient and predates the existence of modern technology and otaku culture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(mythology) Pygmalion was a Cypriot sculptor who carved a woman out of ivory. According to Ovid, after seeing the Propoetides prostituting themselves (more accurately, they denied the divinity of Venus and she thus ‘reduced’ them to prostitution), he was 'not interested in women', but his statue was so fair and realistic that he fell in love with it. In the vertex, Venus (Aphrodite)'s festival day came. For the festival, Pygmalion made offerings to Venus and made a wish. "I sincerely wished the ivory sculpture will be changed to a real woman." However, he couldn’t bring himself to express it. When he returned home, Cupid sent by Venus kissed the ivory sculpture on the hand. At that time, it was changed to a beautiful woman. A ring was put on her finger. It was Cupid’s ring which made love achieved. Venus granted his wish. Pygmalion married the ivory sculpture changed to a woman under Venus’ blessing. It might seem that the Pygmalion myth doesn't explain how you are your waifu. But Pygmalion created her with his own ideas, his own thoughts on what his ideal waifu should be. Much like how we take other peoples' creations and make them into our very own waifus. Most people, even to this day, think that having a waifu is a byproduct of the 'negative aspects' of otaku culture, but not something that existed in classical literature and mythology. This ignorance on the part of most normals is the result of why they are hostile to the idea of having a waifu, that they believe that anyone who does have a waifu is automatically some kind of shut-in or sociopath and has to be 'rescued'. Final Thoughts Now people project their own thoughts onto their waifu, their perceptions, their wishes and dreams and whatever else they think of her. They love the image or the thought of their waifu, they become emboldened and inspired by her. The more you understand and appreciate your waifu, the more you know why you love them and the more you understand yourself and of course, love your waifu. Now, what have we learned about waifus? Waifus are love, but we knew that already, right? We are our waifus. Our waifus are a part of ourselves. Waifus are nothing new under the sun. Waifus are a way of life. Notes Note on changing waifus: People who change their waifus (no, not those flavor of the season fags you see on /a/) aren't necessarily guilty of infidelity. They probably realized she doesn't have a pennis & also dicke and balls. I use the term resonance as something to explain a connection between a man and his waifu. His waifu doesn't share much with him anymore. They're not on the same frequency anymore, and he'll go on his own journey to seek himself- maybe he'll return back to his waifu, or find a new waifu who is on the same resonance as he is. A plausible explanation is that he has changed rather than 'cheating' or 'giving up' on his waifu. In short, changing your waifu is fine (given you have a strong reason), since people change over time and one doesn't usually intend to think that they'll have the same waifu for the rest of their life. Maybe you haven't met the one waifu for you yet. That said, I dislike it when people change their waifu every single day, week or month or even year. It just gets sickening and shows that you're not being sincere about having a waifu. Note on pennis & also dicke and balls: For now, I believe every waifu should have a pennis & also dicke and balls. Note on harems: Harems, are partially relevant to waifus. They are usually seen as 'people with more than 'waifu', but I see harems and waifus as mutually exclusive. Generally if analyzed, there are a 'personality' test of sorts and shows the person's inner self through common trends and motifs within someone's harem. (except if they choose something like 'everyone that shares the same seiyuu or all drawn by the same artist') But I do have to say that people such as myself do share some things, a few motifs in common with their harem favorites. Note on opinions: 'Waifu-ism' or 'waifu movement' is home to a broad range of opinions, roughly similar to that of differing philosophies and ways of thought. Two people that have waifus may agree generally on the basics of having a waifu (and disagreeing with normals hellbent on 'normalizing' those who do have waifus), but they differ in terms of applying them. Such is also the case for two people who share the same waifu. Maybe there could be different schools of thought about it. Last note: Of course, this is by no means absolute, so I should revise it a little more. You guys could throw a bunch of suggestions if you'd like. Links Original thread http://tohno-chan.com/mai/res/1656.html